"At the top of the list is nature, all forms of it.
I am in awe of nature and am grateful for the wonder I feel for it. When I am
immersed in it, the real me rises to the surface and life's chaos melts
away..... for a while. Nature literally reveals and soothes my inner spirit. I
especially love the peacefulness of being out on the water in my kayak.
Usually with camera in hand, I am able to capture
scenes of nature up close. For the last five years, these outings have led me to
create a body of work titled, "From My Kayak"., focusing on the designs, the
patterns and the textures created as nature and man play with the surface
of the water. I find myself almost constantly looking at my world through
an invisible viewfinder, studying and analyzing the light, the shadows, the
composition, all of which triggers something inside me to consider what I am
seeing as a painting or drawing."

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Mel Myers' s most recent kiln load of glazed fired pottery is now
unloaded, and packing is underway in preparation for the Iowa Festival
of the Arts hosted June 6 -8 in Iowa City. Mel's hand thrown, hand
carved pottery draws a crowd as well as devoted, returning purchasers
who await his Spring collection.

The Iowa City
show is the first of eight shows for Mel this summer. Under the
building sign of "Clay County Clay", Mel works daily at his studio where
walk-ins can see the master ceramic artist at work, admire works in
progress, and visit the gallery shop -- all located at his work place at
717 13th Ave West in Spencer, Iowa. Walk-ins are welcome.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Tim Arand-McIlrath, Okoboji, will be the featured exhibition at the
Witter Gallery in Storm Lake, IA for the month of May. The exhibition is
titled "A Fiber Artist's Journey".

"I realized that I had
been making art for over 45 years. Recently I have been revisiting
printed fabrics from many years before, and incorporating them into new mixed media artwork . The exhibition will feature selections from the
different approaches I have taken with my work over the years. The
emphasis will be on the 2D mixed media work and the 3D sculptural mixed
media pieces. Also included will be felted artwork, woven and screen
printed pieces.

Folk
art has long been an area of interest for me. I have researched and
collected folk art in all my travels. I have spent extended visits to
Mexico and in particular to the Oaxaca area. The color, texture and
freedom of expression have fascinated me for many years. There is an
incredible excitement in the work of folk artists.

I
have been 'accused' of having too much fun creating my art. Not
possible in my world. Having fun is one of the prime motivators in my
work. I love having viewers smile. I smile a lot while I am working
on my art.

In
my two dimensional pieces, the backgrounds are painted with acrylic
paint or are surface designed fabrics and sometimes embellished with
found objects. The foregrounds have crocheted webs introduced onto
the compositions. The three-dimensional pieces are usually
constructed out of willow branches and are many times painted or
varnished. The found objects and crocheted yarn inhabit the
structures. Color, texture, repetition, and pattern have always been
strong elements in my work. The compositions are based on my
observations of the world around us."

The exhibition dates are May 7-
30 with an opening reception planned for May 8 from 5- 6:30PM. The
Witter Gallery is located at 609 Cayuga St. Storm Lake, IA. For
additional information contact Ron Stevenson, Gallery Director at
712-732-3400 or wittergallery@yahoo.com.

2016 ART logo

About the Artisans Road Trip!

Professional artists will welcome guests into their studios to discover and purchase quality original works during the fourteenrh annual Artisans Road Trip (A.R.T.) on Saturday and Sunday, October 14 through 15, 2017. The free tour will includes many Northwest Iowa Artists representing several counties.

A.R.T. invites you to travel Iowa’s scenic byways and back roads looking for one-of-a-kind art treasures. Artisans will offer a rare glimpse into creative processes as they demonstrate their craft in personal and unique work spaces.